Intravenous (IV) infusion therapy is used to infuse fluids to a patient at an effectively constant rate over a specified interval of time. Accordingly, IV infusion therapy may be used for various purposes in a wide variety of situations. However, much of global IV infusion is still delivered through conventional IV poles using gravity. This is likely due to its simplicity and not because of its ease of use. Unfortunately, patients using IV poles are mostly confined to their bed because of the clumsiness and difficulty in mobilizing and navigating the IV pole.
There are various negative aspects of IV infusion therapy when conventional IV infusion devices are used. For example, although many IV patients are bedridden, it may not always be necessary for the patient to remain lying down during infusion therapy. Indeed, but for limitations imposed by the conventional infusion devices being used, there may be no need for the patient to remain non-ambulatory for the prolonged periods of time that may be necessary for IV therapy. However, if the patient were able to move around during IV therapy it may reduce the recovery time of the patient which will help reduce hospital bills and the burden on the healthcare system while increasing patient through-put.